We have a limited understanding of how an opinion is originated, how an opinion and information supporting and explaining it gets conveyed, and how the communicated opinion is perceived and processed by others. One direction of current research...

I. Intermolecular C-S Bond Forming Reactions
The relatively small number of efficient C-S bond forming reactions in the literature prompted an investigation into the synthesis of allylic thioethers. The technology that we developed allowed us, in...

Chapter 1: Munchnones and mesoionic heterocycles The reactivity, regioselectivity, and synthetic applications of munchnones (1,3-oxazolium-5-olates) is a common theme which runs through Chapters 2-5. The definition, structure, and reactivity of...

A series of conformationally restricted bis(9-amino-acridine) derivatives were designed, synthesized, and then evaluated for their chemical and biological behavior. The novel compounds were prepared by treating selected diamines with a...

Diffuse optical tomography (DOT) has the potential to become a non-invasive and non-ionizing diagnostic imaging technique for breast cancer imaging. DOT uses near-infrared (NIR) light to illuminate the breast, generally through the use of fiber...

The accelerated expansion of space in the Universe has been known for two decades. However, finding a plausible theory that describes this expansion is more difficult: Taking general relativity for granted requires us to stipulate the existence of...

Sensing light from the environment using photoreceptors is of great adaptive significance to eukaryotes. A prominent feature of the photochemistry of these receptors is the photocycle length, the time taken to decay from the initial signaling light...

An important mode of stabilization of cations in biochemical reactions is interaction with the π systems-of aromatic residues. As part of an investigation of the interaction of carbocations with aromatic π systems, a study of various model...

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) balance self-renewal with the continuous production of the suitable numbers of lineage-restricted progenitor cells. In this work we demonstrate that the Mixed lineage leukemia 1 (Mll1) gene is essential for this...

This research attempts to combine known methodology with new chemistry towards the preparation of extended polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). The generation and Diels-Alder trapping of 1,7- and 2,6-naphthalene bisarynes was attempted for the...

A new synthetic approach to both pyrrolo[2,3- b]indoles and pyrrolo[3,4- b]indoles by the reaction of 3-nitro-1-(substituted)indoles with functionalized isocyanides is presented. The reaction between 3-nitro-1-(phenylsulfonyl)indole (185) and ethyl...

Interaction with aromatic π systems has become recognized as an important mode of stabilization of carbocation intermediates in biological reactions. To gain insight into such carbocation-π interactions, we have undertaken a study of...

Plant MADS proteins play critical roles in vegetative and reproductive development. DNA binding and yeast three-hybrid assays suggest that plant MADS proteins function as dimers or multimers. However, little is known about how plant MADS proteins...

Geological mapping, petrological and geophysical studies in the lake Atitlan area, Guatemala, have revealed four distinct periods of stratovolcano growth, each followed by major silicic eruptions and caldera collapse. The first period (12 - 11 my...

Chapter II of this thesis describes the synthesis of a number of sulfobetaines and bissulfobetaines to be evaluated as inhibitors of squalene synthase (SS) on the basis of the idea proposed by Shechter that their zwitterionic structure would be...

A novel synthetic route to the synthesis of 9-propyl-10-azacyclododecan-12-olide (1), a natural allomone isolated from the Mexican bean beetle pupa, is presented. The salient features of this synthetic route are a regioselective Beckmann...